Popular Dissent
by Elite Beauty
Summary: A fallout. An altercation. A contention. A feud. An argument. Things were never the same after that. But as the Shadow King dawns on the horizon, the Digidestined need to deal with the repercussions of their actions. They need to pick up the pieces and start all over. Otherwise, surrender is inevitable and the world will cease to exist.
1. Diverging Lifestyles

**Hello!**

**Well, here we go again. Popular Dissent - another story idea that I had in which I couldn't help myself from writing. Besides Paradoxical Universes, this little bit was one of the things that got me inspired to write again. Honestly, I promised myself I wouldn't start another story without finishing Apocalyptic Quest and Paradoxical Universes, but I couldn't help it. ;) For now, Apocalyptic Quest is still on hiatus and for those (many or few) interested in Paradoxical Universes - I'm still working on that one! **

**So, here is two tidbits of information you need to know:**

**It's AU - especially since Digimon Tri will be released in the spring.**

**And...**

**Ages:**

**Joe - 26  
><strong>**Tai, Sora, Matt - 25  
><strong>**Izzy, Mimi - 24  
>Yolei - 23<br>Davis, Kari, T.K., Ken - 22  
>Cody - 21<strong>

**And there we go! I hope you enjoy the first chapter of this installment. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. It would be wonderful if I did. :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1 – Diverging Lifestyles<strong>

* * *

><p>"And that's pretty much why we can't just go and launch this album. It won't work."<p>

"Of course it will. It's designed that way."

"Just because you are the producer, buddy, doesn't mean it will miraculously sound good."

"I know it does. I've done so many tests on it that it might as well have earned the right to go to college."

"Fantastic. Let's all now waste thousands of dollars and throw everything up into the air!"

"Enough!" Matt's colleagues all turned to him in surprise. As he took a moment to gather his thoughts, the blonde quickly realized that he stood up in the midst of all this madness.

"You have something to add, Mr. Ishida? If you do, please do so now," the owner of the record label scowled at him, gesturing with a condescending tone.

Matt forced a smile to show on his lips. "Look, even though Akira's ego is getting too big for his own good, he's right. We came up with the best album there is and we have to go for it. Yutaka, Takashi, don't you agree?"

His band mates of the Wolves reluctantly nodded their heads in agreement.

"Great. See Mr. Kiyan, we are already prepared to release this album. I think it goes along with everything else, don't you think?"

"I suppose," the record label owner replied, scratching his chin. Matt could see that this was already working in his favor. For once.

"Let's not waste any time then. Let's release it and see what the fans think."

"Now, now, Mr. Ishida...let's not get ahead of ourselves, hmm? If this album doesn't go through the roof, we're going to drop you from the record label."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Mr. Kiyan," Matt agreed with him—only for the sake of agreeing with the man. If this album doesn't sell, he's doomed. He yearned for the days when the Teenage Wolves were the band to watch out for. Now that they're just 'Wolves', their fans believed that all they're trying to do is stay in the past, or so the critics say.

"Show yourselves out. Hopefully for you, this works out in your favor," Kiyan stated, waving them off. The lead singer of the Wolves glanced at his other band mates. He cringed at the thought of them getting dropped off. It wasn't only his career that was on the line. He dragged down everybody else with him too.

He had to face it though. The whole music industry wasn't going well for him at all. It dawned on him that he had to get an actual job.

"Well, here's to hoping," Matt heard Takashi say as the band walked out of the building.

"If it doesn't work out, fellas…I had fun," Yutaka added in. Matt scoffed, shaking his head. Do they not believe that this can work?

"Godspeed," Akira said, wishing them all good luck. For once, the former Digidestined agreed with him. They were going to need all the luck they could get.

Life hadn't been that great for him ever since he graduated high school. Sure, his band was able to tour the world. And yes, he was able to date one of the most beautiful and wonderful women that he had met. However, after a couple of years of musician stardom, things started to go downhill.

He almost dropped out of college. Not because he couldn't get through it, but because he didn't really see the point if the record label offered him fame and fortune. Thank goodness T.K. was there to help him out and push him through. The former Digidestined of Sincerity had broken up with him. Well, he believed that it was a mutual breakup, but he knew that she thought otherwise.

He supposed it was karma. Nothing accounted for the fact that he screwed over the one he truly loved. He screwed her over, and he knew that there was probably nothing to make up for it.

Whatever. There was no time to think about it now. He had to get this album to sell. Otherwise, there would be nothing for him that was worth living for.

* * *

><p>Everyone bustled about the dressing room, putting makeup on the models and fitting them appropriately for the fashion show. Gorgeous male swimsuit models lined up outside on the platform while the beautiful women were preparing for their part in the extravaganza.<p>

Mimi's lips were pursed as she flipped through a magazine. Now that her part was over, she could just relax. When she heard her name called out through the dressing room, she slouched further into her chair. At least, she thought she could relax.

"There you are. You need to get dressed."

Her perfectly shaped eyebrows creased in confusion. "Why? I'm done for the day, aren't I?"

"One of the other models called in sick, so we need you to take her place."

"Why not have someone else do it?"

"You were hired for this job. And as such, it is _your_ job to follow your superior's orders."

She narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to protest. But a whirlwind of makeup artists and hair stylists got a hold of her before she could. They sat her down in a chair and started working on her appearance.

It wasn't like she loathed her job as a professional model. It's just that she didn't particularly like it anymore. She was never home as she was always traveling around the world for these fashion shows. She didn't get to spend enough time with her family and friends as it is. Not to mention, her love for the culinary arts was set aside as she had to make way for her modeling career.

How she wished she could go back and change her decision to become a chef instead of a model.

But there was nothing to be ungrateful about. She appreciated everything—especially since she got to ride first class, had an amazing wardrobe, and got to see all the sights of the world while doing the thing she loved the most. Keyword: loved.

Don't get her wrong, modeling was fantastic and it was the one thing she wanted to do in her life since she was a little girl. She loved being the center of attention and pride swelled in her heart when she was the one to bring to the table the newest fall fashion line. It was like she was the one inventing a whole new wardrobe for people to love. But now it didn't feel like that anymore. It felt like work. Which wasn't what she wanted in the first place.

Not to mention that her boyfriend resided in the opposite hemisphere of the globe. That was a little overdramatic, she conceded. Oh well. That didn't really matter anyway. She didn't get to share her success with a man, or even a best friend, that she'd like to share everything with. Both of those chances to do so with two certain people went down the drain years ago.

Mimi felt like her life really fit one of those they warn you about in the movies: success means nothing if there's no one special to share it with. She scoffed. Yeah, that about summed it all up. But what was she supposed to do? Grovel and plead for their forgiveness? Yeah, right. Like that'll do anything. She tried. And they didn't forgive her. So all that was left for her to do was move on. With her life, with her job, with everything.

Before she knew it, everyone who attended to her was finished with perfecting her look for the evening.

Her phone rang. Looking down, she saw a picture of her boyfriend and his name flashing on the screen. Her fingers hovered over answer, but she chose ignore instead.

"Miss Tachikawa, you'll be up in 10."

"Alright, don't have to tell me twice," she replied to her assistant, unlocking her phone in the process of standing up. Names of close friends and the Digidestined appeared on the screen as she scrolled through her contacts. Two groups that were once in the same category separated as time went by.

Taking a deep breath, she locked her phone and left it in her purse. She eyed the male models winking at her as they came. It wasn't like she couldn't have them. She knew that she could with their glorious abs and toned muscles and charming smiles and luscious hair. But she wasn't going to hurt him. Not this way. Not in the way she hurt the others.

Her heels clicked and clicked until she stood by the rest of the models gearing up to join the fashion show. Her manager eyed her with concern.

"Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's just go ahead and do this, shall we?"

As she stepped onto the runway, she felt fame and fortune welcoming her.

Friendship and love, however, did not.

* * *

><p>Izzy tried blinking the sheer boredom out of his eyes.<p>

It wasn't working.

He then tried running his hands through his hair—which was a mistake by the way since he had styled it to perfection before he left the house earlier.

He brought his hands up to his face in hopes of rubbing the sleepiness out of them.

Nothing.

"Izzy! Are you even listening to a word I said?"

"Of course I am, Evelyn. Of course. You were just telling me about your boss and how he had no right to assign you to a project that you had no idea was going on in the first place."

His date for the evening smiled at him in response. She put a hand to her chest for a heartfelt affect. "Aw. You _are _listening."

Internally, he rolled his eyes. Not really, but if it helps give the illusion that he is, then why not?

He lifted his wrist to check the time on his watch. _7:30_. Huh. Had it really only been thirty minutes since they got here and sat down and ordered and started eating and everything? Emma—no Evelyn—had started to talk once more. Why did he have to pick someone with a name that was nearly identical to Emma? Well, not exactly. Evelyn _did_ sound closer to Evie, which reminded him of a Pokemon's name.

As soon as she put the last bite of her dish into her mouth, he waved his hand in the air, signaling the waiter to come over.

"Check, please." He muttered. The waiter nodded and took off to get the one thing that would finish the date. Yeah, it was a short one. But it wasn't exactly _prodigious_ either.

He couldn't have recalled a time where he paid a bill faster than he did right now. Once he left a tip for the waiter, he stood up and grabbed his coat. Evelyn stood up as well whilst gathering her belongings. As they were walking out of the restaurant, he felt a tug on his tie.

"So…where are we off to next, Mr. Izumi? Back to your place, perhaps?"

Heh. No, not if his life depended on it. "Um, actually, you know what, Evelyn? I actually have a seven o'clock meeting in the morning tomorrow. So, I can't actually you know be out later than um, eight."

She gave him a confused look. He laughed it off with a nervous guffaw. "We can still go for some ice cream down the street. It isn't that late yet."

"But you know what? It is." He replied, gently tugging her out of the restaurant. Once they were outside, he patted her shoulder a little bit.

"And you're going to bed right after you return home?"

"Uh…yes. That's exactly what I usually do. You know, I need at least ten hours of sleep before I get to work tomorrow."

Izzy wanted to hit himself in the head. If that wasn't the most ridiculous thing anybody's ever said, he didn't know what was. What kind of person that didn't fall in between the ages of one and twelve went to bed at eight o'clock at night?

"Ah okay, mister." She said, poking his chest playfully. "You're probably just saving it for the next time we go out, huh?"

Sure, if she wants to think it as such. He set his lips into a thin line and quirked the tips upward into somewhat of a smile. He made himself chuckle a little again. That's what she thought. When in reality, this is what was going to happen: he will take her home, walk her to her door, tell her he had a good time, and when she asked for a call or for a next date, he'd just smile politely and say that his work didn't really give him a chance to get together because of the business of it all. And she'd understand. He wasn't a complete jerk about it. His mom raised him to be a gentleman and to be polite. He was definitely going to follow up on that so as to not disappoint her.

Besides, there was no way he was going to pursue this any further. And it wasn't like he was lying. He actually did have an early meeting tomorrow. And he was pretty busy with work most of the time.

They would usually understand because their career is just as important as his. Work was a vital part of life. There was always that part to consider.

When he got home, he was a little mindful of the darkness that surrounded his apartment. He opened the lights and looked around the empty living room. The emptiness didn't bother him as much as it used to. Izzy put his keys in its proper place and took off his coat. He proceeded to take his blazer off and loosen his tie. He didn't know what to do now except work. And he definitely wasn't going to go sleep for ten hours.

He could call Evelyn for a late cup of coffee. He could call another girl and see if she'd like to go out on a date.

Instead, he decided to go into his office and start up his laptop.

* * *

><p>"Well, would you look at that?"<p>

Sora smiled with pride as she showed her boss her latest designs.

"Thanks, I worked all night trying to get the little details right."

"It's a piece of crap."

Her face fell as her boss threw her paperwork into the trash. "I thought it was—"

"Obviously, you thought wrong. Here hold this," her boss instructed, shoving a dress into her hands. Whilst gesturing to said dress, she continued, "That is what art looks like, Takenouchi. And if you can't do that, then you might as well just leave."

Sora nodded silently, all while trying to hold her outburst in. "Will that be all, ma'am?"

Her boss waved her away, and Sora took that as her cue to back out and exit the office. When she approached her desk, she spotted a familiar face. Her disdain turned into excitement as she ran into his arms.

"What are you doing here?"

He smiled and held up a paper bag. "I brought you lunch."

"Oh, Tadashi, you shouldn't have."

"Well…when we spoke earlier, you sounded really stressed out, so I thought I'd come here to surprise you with your favorite meal."

Sora grinned as she hugged him. "You have just made my day. You're the best." She leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. "Thank you," she whispered.

"That's what fiancés do, right? Help their fiancée when they're down." She looked up at him and saw his charming, endearing grin. She couldn't help but feel elated. "Were you able to get in contact with that friend of yours…Rei was it?"

She shook her head in response. "Not yet. But I'll call her later today and see if she has time to meet with us. What time do you get off work?"

"Around five."

"Great! We can discuss the wedding plans with her then," Sora said, wrapping her arms around his torso yet again.

"Alright, I'll see you tonight?"

"Yep. Don't be late," she warned him, leaning in for another kiss. Their kiss this time lasted several more seconds before they broke apart. She looked into his beautiful brown eyes, almost drowning in them before she cleared her throat, and he took that as a signal to step away.

"I'll be going. Wouldn't want you to get into trouble."

"Argh, yes. Okay, bye. Love you."

She heard his response as he made his way out of the door. "Love you too!"

Shaking her head, she sat back down at her desk and started to eat her lunch. She wondered how she got so lucky to have a guy like him. Even though her career wasn't going exactly as planned, at least her love life made up for it.

While she ate her lunch, she thought about her wedding. It wasn't going to be big. She planned it to be composed of a small gathering with friends and family. She had already discussed the nuances of the wedding with Tadashi—centerpieces, cake, food, venue, time and date—but they hadn't gone over the guest list yet.

Certainly her parents and his parents would be invited. Heck, their whole family would be there. His closest friends and hers. That would be about it.

Rei would have to be there. In addition to being her best friend, she was their wedding planner. Her closest tennis team friends would also be invited. Coworkers? Not so much. There weren't any other people Sora would consider herself pretty close with except for…the Digidestined.

There was Tai…who would definitely be there. He was flying in from who knows where later tonight. She supposed that she could send Izzy an invitation, even though they haven't talked in years. Joe, who if he didn't have something else planned for that day, could probably make it. Kari should be invited too because she is Tai's sister and they are friends. T.K.—sure, why not? Davis, Yolei, Cody, and Ken could come too if they wish. Mimi…well, she wasn't planning on speaking a word to her anytime soon, so she could count her out. And Matt…well, she's inviting T.K., so did that mean she needed to invite his older brother as well?

Would Matt get ahold of her wedding knowledge from T.K.? Would Mimi? It has been years since the incident. Maybe she _should_ be the bigger person and invite them.

Sora shrugged, unsure of what to do. She'll talk about it with Tai later. Right now, she needed to call Rei.

* * *

><p>Joe raised his hand to knock on the door, but decided against it. Ugh. How could he have been so stupid? He's been standing here for ten minutes doing the same thing over and over again. They had a good time the other night, right? It wasn't just him imagining things? Then why couldn't he do this one thing? All he had to do was knock.<p>

The door opened before he could raise his hand to knock on it again.

"Joe?"

"Hey, Momoe, I…," he started. He was still looking down at his shoes.

"No, no. No, no, no."

"What, but I—" he turned his head upwards to look Momoe in the eye. He grimaced when he saw whom he was actually talking to.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Yolei, I can explain—"

"Oh, you better explain alright. What—are you…are you _doing_ my sister?"

What did that even mean? He wasn't doing—oh. He was definitely not _doing_ her sister. That was a misinterpretation on her part.

"No! I'm not, I just…um…."

Yolei scowled at him and he cringed under her glare. "You just what? Decided not to give her a call the next morning?"

"Nothing happened, Yolei! Nothing beyond like a peck on the cheek, okay?"

"If he says nothing happened, then nothing happened," he heard a voice behind Yolei, seeing Ken step up beside her. Ken put his hands on her shoulders and it seemed to calm Yolei down a bit. Joe was grateful for the miracle that is Ken.

"I don't believe him."

"What? But I just said—"

"Nope. He can't come in."

"Yolei, I just wanted to let your sister know that I had a good time the other night and would like to do it again. I even brought flowers."

She eyed the flowers suspiciously, like it was made out of poison or something.

"You should give him a chance," Ken suggested. "I think Joe and Momoe would be a good match."

She turned on him and he put his hands up in surrender. Joe felt sorry for the guy. "Do you? Do you really?"

"Can I just—" Joe interrupted, handing over the flowers to Yolei.

"No!" The couple replied and Joe shrunk away. Was a girl really worth all this trouble? Especially if he had a feeling that he'd be having this exchange with her sister every single time he came over?

"Fine. Give me the flowers. I'll tell her you stopped by."

"But wait—" he protested as she took the flowers from his grasp and slammed the door in his face. "…don't change the message." He nodded to himself as he walked to the elevator. She's definitely going to tell Momoe something different than what he set out to tell her himself.

* * *

><p>"Thank you, Mr. Hida. These discoveries will certainly help in tomorrow's trial."<p>

Cody bowed his head in response. "I'm glad it'll be of assistance."

"You know what?" his mentor asked him.

"Yes?"

"You've been working too hard. Take the night off. Go out with some friends. Take someone out on a date."

"Oh, sir, I haven't been working that hard. I think I'll just go home and study some more."

"Nonsense! Actually, you know what? Maybe you could meet my daughter. I think she'll be thrilled to go out with someone like you."

Cody opened his mouth to protest, but thought against it. This was his boss after all, and he didn't want to offend him by indirectly saying that he didn't want to go out with his daughter. Maybe he could say that he doesn't have to do it. Play it off like the boss was doing a favor for him instead of the other way around.

"Sir, you really don't need to."

"She's been single for years as well! This could be a good match."

"Um…."

"I'll pick you up at seven tonight, okay?"

"Uh…."

"Okay, see you Cody," his boss went out the door and Cody was left to stew over the fact that he had to go and charm his boss's daughter. If it doesn't go well, his boss will hate him. He couldn't act like a repulsive guy. His boss would know he was out of character, so there goes the fact of making the daughter hate him. He couldn't be polite because then, what if it goes well? And then they had to get married? And then his boss would become his father-in-law?

It's going to be okay. Isn't it? His boss re-entered the room.

"Actually, Cody, she's meeting me for lunch. Let's go."

"Um, now sir?" He didn't have time to mentally prepare for this.

"Yep!"

"Uh, okay." Cody picked up his jacket, put it on, and started to head out the door after him. He saw the opposite route of where his boss's car was parked. Maybe he could escape.

"She's wonderful, Cody. You're going to love her."

He chuckled with his boss as the car started to drive toward the restaurant. This wasn't weird, wasn't it? It wasn't everyday that his boss set him up on a date.

"Here we go. You ready, tiger?"

He scrunched up his eyebrows in a 'I'm-a-little-weirded-out-sort-of-way'. But instead of showing that, he cleared his throat and nodded, smiling a little to show that he wasn't nervous about this at all.

"Reservation for Kawada," his boss said once they entered the restaurant.

"Right this way, sir." Cody couldn't make out the face of the woman already seated at the table.

"Sunshine!"

"Dad! How are things?"

"Great! Oh, this is Cody Hida. Cody, this is my daughter and pride, Noriko Kawada."

His eyes widened as he recognized the name of his boss's daughter. This couldn't be any more awkward.

* * *

><p>The buzzer rang throughout the gym as the ball went through the hoop. T.K. congratulated his other teammates on their win. A brunette came up to him and hugged him tightly.<p>

"Congratulations, honey!"

"Thanks, Kimiko. Are you ready to go and celebrate?"

He felt her lips on his. Afterwards, she beamed up at him. "Yeah, let's go."

"Okay, let me just change first. I'll meet you outside."

He went to go to the locker room, his teammates patting his back as he went inside. Professional basketball was something he'd never thought he'd be doing, and yet, here he was. Checking his phone, he read a text from Davis.

_Hey man! Just checking in to see how the pro life is. Call me back when you can._

It was ironic how he thought of Davis as his best friend. Considering all they went through to get Kari's attention when they were younger. Speaking of Kari…he shook his head. She was something that he should definitely not be thinking about. Yeah, they went through a lot together. But what pulled them away shouldn't have. He partially blamed himself for that. Stop that, he told himself. He couldn't be thinking about that now. He put his phone away after texting Davis a reply.

But as he changed, his mind wandered to Kari. How was she? Did she have a boyfriend? Was she married? Did she move out of Japan? It wasn't a surprise that the Digidestined drifted apart after not having an enemy to defeat every now and then. But his fallout with Kari was unprecedented.

"T.K.!" He heard Kimiko call from the other side of the door. "Are you ready?"

"Yep!" T.K. zipped up his bag and headed out of the locker room. Putting an arm around his girlfriend, he smiled at her. "So, where to for dinner?"

"I've wanted to try out that new restaurant near Malibu. You?"

He nodded vigorously in reply. She laughed. He loved it when he could make her laugh.

"How's your book coming along?"

"Oh…" he trailed off. He wanted to become a writer, not just a basketball player, but he was plagued with a drought of no inspiration. He didn't know what to write about. Not even an inkling came to mind. Steamy romance novel? No, thanks. Comedic relief? Not his thing. A cookbook or a motivational piece? Yeah…that wouldn't get him anywhere. "It's good. I wrote my name on the front cover."

He turned to see her laugh with amusement. "And you want to become a writer…why?"

T.K. shrugged, not really knowing why anymore. He perked up, remembering the reason he started out with. "Because I'd like to tell stories that have never been heard of before. I'd like to present people with a new perspective. It's something that seems worthwhile doing."

He felt her grab a hold of his chin; he looked down into her eyes. "Playing basketball won't help."

"Yeah, but at least it pays the rent right?" He joked, laughing at his inability to write something off.

"You do what you want to do, T.K. Just as long as it makes you happy."

He looked at her, albeit puzzled and somewhat comforted by what she said. For the first time, her words seemed to line up with something Kari would say.

* * *

><p>"Hold it! Hold it right there please!"<p>

Panting heavily, Tai caught his breath as the elevator doors closed. He groaned as he ran his hands through his disheveled hair. He swerved his head from side to side, trying to find a clock. _8:15_. Damn it, there was no way he'd make it in time now. He was _so _fired. Next month's rent would be gone and extinguished from his life. And the food that has kept him alive for so long.

He violently threw the papers he was holding down on the floor. Tai's chocolate brown eyes glared at everyone who threw a judgmental look towards his way. What, had they not seen this happen before?

Now what was he going to do? The red-eye to Japan wasn't leaving until later that night, and it wasn't like there were any clubs he could go to. There was no point in entering a meeting that started thirty minutes ago. What was he going to explain to the Swiss embassy? That he slipped on a banana peel into a puddle of mud and had to go and change his shirt? Yeah, like that'll go over well.

He slid down to the floor—his back against the cool marble tile of the walls and his butt kind of finding unwanted solace from the cold floor. A ringing noise stopped him from closing his eyes. Tai patted the pockets of the cheap and worn-out suit he got on a great bargain deal. Nope, it wasn't in his blazer. His pants didn't hold his cell phone either. Spotting it lying on the floor beside the mess of papers, he dove to pick it up. Hopefully, it wasn't his boss congratulating him on a job screwed up.

"Tai," he sat up straighter, clearing his throat to answer his sister in greeting.

"Kari. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"What's with the formality? I was just checking to see what time your plane was landing tonight."

"Um…," the former soccer player's fingers went up to his head, knocking it a little in hopes of remembering the time of his flight. "Probably around nine o'clock? In the morning. My plane doesn't leave until eight tonight."

"Okay," he heard her breathe a sigh of relief.

"What, did you forget or something?"

"No, no, I just was hoping that I didn't totally space out on your arrival time. Just wanted to check with you." Tai narrowed his eyes at her reply. There was definitely something off in her voice.

"Kari," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

Sniffles can be heard from her end of the phone. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Nothing to worry about."

"What is it, Kari?" He gritted his teeth together. What could have happened to make her like this?

"Um, it's nothing, I'm fine. Just a break up that's all."

Tai stood up with fury in his normally jovial chocolate eyes. "I told you he was a good-for-nothing lowlife. And you didn't believe me. What was his name? Trevor? Travis?"

"Thanks," she replied sarcastically. He immediately felt guilty for making her feel worse about the whole thing. "And it's Trent."

"Trent. Huh. What a stupid ass name."

That at least earned a chuckle out of her and for now, he would take it. "Don't worry, Kari. I'll be home soon."

"For what, a day?" That did it. Guilt was pouring in through his system now. It wasn't like he meant to leave every so often. That was his job. As one of the ambassadors sent across the world for various ambassador-like duties, he couldn't stay at home for too long.

"It'll be for more than that, Kari. I promise."

"Fine. I'll meet you at baggage claim. Travel safe."

"Thanks. You too," Tai said and hung up the phone. He heaved a sigh. Now what was he going to do for the next couple of hours?

* * *

><p>Kari stared at her phone after the call ended. She had to prepare for Tai's return. Maybe he'd like some ramen? Or some chicken? She didn't know. Recess was almost over and it was time for the kids to come back in.<p>

"Alright, everyone! Let's go study more about the alphabet, shall we?"

Her kindergarten students groaned as they filed into the classroom. One boy, whose name was Bobby, raised his hand. She acknowledged his question with a nod of her head. He spoke.

"Miss Kari, can we talk about something else other than the alphabet?"

The other kids agreed with him, getting more excited at the possibility about discussing something else than learning their ABCs.

"Yes please, Miss Kari. And then we'll go right back to the alphabet. Pretty please?" A girl, Maddy, asked politely.

"I guess we can," Kari said, pretending to be distraught about not getting to learn the alphabet. "But only for a little while. What do you guys like to talk about?"

"Where do babies come from?" a kid asked from the back.

"Um…what?" Kari blinked. _This_ she certainly wasn't expecting. And it was way above her pay grade to answer that question.

"You don't know where babies come from?" Bobby asked incredulously. Was it normal for a kid to be paired with the word incredulous?

"And you do?" the kid stuck his tongue out at Bobby.

"I do," Maddy replied. "My momma and daddy say that they come from love."

"Ewwww!" was the response, more or less, Kari heard from the class. Why wasn't she stopping this conversation?

"Love stinks!"

"No it's not!"

"Love is for those with cooties!"

"You're stupid for saying that!"

"Okay, class. We can talk about love. What do you think love means?" Kari asked her students. This topic at least is more appropriate.

"To get married to somebody who hates you," Kari looked over at the child who said that. Um, well she wasn't expecting that.

"Love is what they show in those princess movies."

Maddy raised her hand. Kari called her name, prompting her to share. "I think love is when you're missing some of your teeth, but you're not afraid to smile because you know your friends will still love you even if some of you is missing."

Kari was taken aback by what Maddy said. Did she really say that? It wasn't poetry or anything, but it was pretty insightful for a five year old. Hmm…it made sense. It could apply to anything really—forgiveness and apologies included. At this rate, Maddy (the six-year old kindergartener) will find love before she (Kari Kamiya, kindergarten teacher) started to actually understand what it meant.

* * *

><p>"Get Japan's greatest noodles here!" Davis called out to potential customers walking by his awesome noodle cart if he did say so himself. He got a lot of looks—some weirded out, some disgusted, but all in all, he had to pat himself on the back. He was able to sell a fair amount today. Well, if a fair amount equals around five-and-a-half. The half was due to the fact his customer spilled his newly bought noodles as he was walking away from the cart. But still, it wasn't half-bad a number.<p>

To top it off, he was pretty ecstatic. Here he was, living his dream he's had since he was thirteen. Not bad at all, Motomiya. Not bad at all.

"Psst."

Davis looked up and down, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Back here, you idiot."

He turned around, expecting someone eager to buy noodles, but was faced with an old—like really, really old—woman who seemed to not want anything to do with his noodles at all. Wait. That came out wrong.

"The Digital World is in trouble once again."

He almost tripped on his own two feet. Well, if he was walking he would've. "Excuse me?"

"The Digidestined is needed."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out, thank you very much," he replied sarcastically. How the heck did this woman know about the Digital World? Did they start giving out their secrets about Digimon to everyone who seemed to have some sort of an imagination?

"You…don't want any noodles?"

The ancient lady glared at him and hit him on the head. Ow. "No! I do not want any noodles!"

"Oh…." There seemed to be that kind of silence where it was too awkward, but no one knew what to do next kind of silence.

"It's time for you to return."

"But why? Now? Look lady, I don't know what kind of drugs you're hopped on, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Soon. The Shadow King is coming."

Huh. The Shadow King. What in the world did that mean? "And plus, I can't go right now. See, I have to sell at least 40 packs of noodles today, or else I'm out of business."

"We're not going to get anywhere with this." She touched his arm. He tugged it back. What was she trying to do?

Touching his arm again, she just spoke two words. "Brace yourself."

* * *

><p>He woke up in an…office? A part of him said that everything was fine while the other part started to hyperventilate. Davis held his head in a tender manner. It felt as if he was hit with a ton of bricks and then thrown off a bridge or something. His eyes widened as he looked around the room.<p>

Tai. Izzy. Sora. Matt. Mimi. Joe. Kari. T.K. Yolei. Ken. Cody.

Well, this was a sight to see that's for sure. He couldn't remember a time where they were all in the same room together.

"Ken? Ken! Are you okay?" he heard Yolei and turned to watch her shake her boyfriend.

"What the—" Matt's voice resonated throughout the room.

The lady. Where was she? She better have not disappeared, otherwise he'd sound like a complete moron when he would tell his encounter with her to them.

"Where are we?" Sora wondered aloud. Question of the century.

"My office," Izzy replied. The computer genius got up and walked to his desk. Davis was astounded by the fact that he seemed unfazed. He sat down and put his head in his hands. Or not.

"Why…what do you want with us?" Matt inquired. Davis nodded his head. He'd like to know that too.

"I don't want anything to do with you," Izzy replied, with more of a distasteful sound that Davis had ever heard come out from his mouth. "I don't even know why or how we got here."

"Um…I might have an idea." Davis offered his knowledge. The other eleven Digidestined looked at him as if he just got there. "This lady…."

"Is saying that you need to save the Digital World once again." The ancient lady he came across a couple of minutes—hours—ago walked out of the shadows behind Izzy's chair.

"Aahhhh! Who the…" Izzy fell out of his chair and landed on the floor. Davis laughed. The guy looked as if he was about to pee his pants.

"Who the hell are you?" Tai asked. Thanks, Tai. That's exactly what he hasn't been wondering all this time.

Miss Ancient (yes, that's what Davis now called her) blatantly ignored Tai.

"You are all needed to defeat The Shadow King."

"Can you _please_ explain one—who are you and two—who is the Shadow King?" Izzy raised his voice, exasperated that this woman wasn't telling them anything.

"I will explain all. But first, I need to know that you will put aside your differences and your trifles in order to come together as a team and work like true friends."

After she said that, everyone looked at each other, all unwilling to admit the fact that what she's asking may not happen. Even Davis wasn't oblivious to everything that went on between certain members of their team. She spoke in riddles and as if everything would be hunky-dory and all rainbows and sunshine and unicorn poop. She was talking as if they could just solve all of their problems with the flick of a wrist.

The ancient fairytale lady was way out of her element. He would become a billionaire with his noodle cart shop before that ever happened.

* * *

><p><strong>The title of this story is honestly my favorite one. Any guesses as to why? There are many things left unanswered and gaps that need to be filled in, so stick around to discover more!<strong>

**Another disclaimer: Maddy's definition of love didn't come from me. I found it online. An actual six-year old did write it though.**

**Also, who's excited for Digimon Tri? I know I am!**

**Thank you for reading! Feel free to send me any thoughts or questions you have in a review or a PM! :)**


	2. Incompatible Personalities

**Hi! I'm back with another update! For those who like action, this doesn't get into the action packed part yet. To those who want answers, you're right where you need to be! Here's another chapter in this installment. I hope you all like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Sigh.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2 – Incompatible Personalities<strong>

"So are you going to tell us what's going on or not?" Yolei asked the woman indignantly. Matt chose to silently sit in one of the corners of Izzy's office.

They were still there. It had been an awkward ten minutes after the lady announced her unrealistic and cliché request. He ran his hands through his blonde hair. She spoke in riddles. There was no way they were going to get a reasonable answer out of her. He wondered why they bothered trying.

"Will you put your differences aside and stop fighting in order to work together as a group of friends?" The crazy woman asked yet again.

"When will it get through to your head? That will most likely not happen," Tai replied. For once, Matt agreed with him. Even Tai had the sense to know when things like that won't work.

"At least try. It is imperative that you try."

"Why?" Matt's ears perked up. That was Sora. He flinched at her behavior. If she didn't feel like getting along with the others, then who's to say anyone else will?

"Fine, we'll try. Happy?" Izzy spoke up. Matt knew that the redheaded computer nerd only wanted the answers.

"Sincerity is an important part of life, Izzy. It surprises me that you don't know how to be sincere." He looked towards Izzy, who seemed baffled at his observation. The genius had no words. This moment should really be documented.

"I would. I'll put everything aside," he was surprised to hear Mimi pipe in. They locked eyes for a moment. She raised her eyebrows at him as if saying 'you need to back me up'.

His throat felt dry as he cleared it in order to acquiesce to her request. "I think she's right."

"Of course you would," Sora muttered under her breath. He knew that she didn't mean for him to hear her. But he did nonetheless.

He narrowed his eyes at the Digidestined of Love. "It's the only way we're going to get some kind of an answer. You have a better idea?"

"Yeah. We could just not save the Digital World," she retorted. He was taken aback by her response. If she didn't feel like working with him just to save the Digital World, then all hope was truly lost. When the Digidestined of love doesn't even _like_ you, it hurts.

"And why is that, Sora?" Mimi inquired. At least he was on good terms with her.

"Because we're old! I mean, we're not little kids anymore running around without anything better to do. We have jobs and other adult things to worry about. Shouldn't there be at least a new Digidestined to take our place? Well…to take Davis's team's place? Since technically we were relieved years ago?"

While she probably protested against him in order to spite him, Sora did have a point.

"Once a Digidestined, always a Digidestined, Sora. Do you not get that?" Davis stood up, challenging her. Whew. The guy had some guts; Matt would give him that. It wasn't everyday Sora fought with someone else. There's no telling what would happen if Sora were to fight everyone. Or just the people she detested. Which consisted mainly of him.

The telephone on Izzy's desk rang throughout the tense room. Izzy, who he assumed was too lazy to actually pick up the damn thing, pressed the speaker button.

"What is it, Brooke?"

"Sir, I tried calling your cell but you wouldn't pick up. Just wanted to remind you that you have a date with Michelle tonight."

If nothing else that transpired in the past few minutes got anybody's attention, _that _certainly did.

Izzy grumbled, rubbing his forehead. Matt watched as his eyes scan the room. "Just cancel it."

"But sir—"

"She'll understand. Say that a meeting held me up and I couldn't get out of it. Or just say that I don't feel like going out tonight. Whatever you like, just as long as it's polite."

"Are you sure, Mr. Izumi?"

"Yes," Izzy groaned. Matt felt himself glare at the nerd. Who gave him the right to just blow people off whenever he felt like it?

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Mr. Izumi." The phone clicked, signaling that the call was over.

"Dude…seriously?!" Tai shouted, waving his arms in the air. It seemed like this wasn't the first time it happened. Matt peeked at Mimi's reaction. She seemed stoic, not really giving way to what she was thinking at the moment.

"So…," Izzy started, getting back to the task at hand. Always the straightforward guy, huh? "Can you at least tell us your name?"

"Giselle," the crazy lady replied.

"What, like from Enchanted?" Davis spoke up. Enchanted? Isn't that like a princess movie or something?

"I have never heard of that movie. But sure," so-called Giselle answered him. This was getting better and better by the minute.

"Anyway," he saw Davis shake his head. "Sora, it's still our responsibility. Don't you care about Biyomon?"

"Of course I do, Davis! But seriously, we're pretty old to be doing this!"

"You're never too old to be a Digidestined, to save the world!"

"Just get over it and move on," he heard Izzy say and saw him placing his head in his hands.

Matt shouldn't have said anything. But he couldn't help himself. "You're one to talk."

The redhead lifted his head from the table and gave him a death glare. "Do you really want to start this now?"

He scoffed. "You know, you have always played the victim card. It's about time that _you_ stop doing that."

"Izzy isn't the perpetrator, Matt," Mimi warned him. He looked back at her. Her eyes could carry a thousand of threats if they could.

"Don't you get sick of him blaming you all the time, Mimi? If he's telling us to get over it, he should look in the mirror before he starts giving orders." Matt heard himself say. Even though he should have immediately regretted saying it, Izzy had no right anymore to keep blaming Mimi for his troubles.

"He should. It's my fault," Mimi whispered, but loudly enough so that the room could hear her.

"Oh, don't you dare play the 'I'm-the-one-who-did-everything' card, Mimi. Don't be self-righteous like that. You don't get to do that. You weren't the only one." Sora scolded her, and then she looked at Matt.

"Very mature, Sora," he replied. She wanted to point fingers? Then he'd point them right back. "You're the one who waited to tell Izzy what was really going on until it was convenient for you."

They didn't speak of the incident that much, but everyone else stood still and held their breath as they waited for Sora to reply.

But she didn't. Instead, Izzy had to speak up.

"You knew for how long?"

Sora glared at Matt. "Not very long, Izzy, it was just—"

"What, Sora? When?"

Matt smirked. Now that the heat was taken off of him and Mimi, he could relax a little. He decided to add something in. "See, Izzy? It wasn't just us at fault."

"Yeah, but what I did was so much worse," Mimi muttered. This time it was only Matt that could hear her. Did she actually want to go over this now? Why was she suddenly playing the 'I know I screwed up and everybody should blame me' card? Sora did things wrong too.

"I just…I didn't know how to tell you. And I didn't know if I should because you seemed so happy."

"Oh. Thanks. So I would've never found out if you hadn't been so concerned about your well-being," Izzy said sarcastically.

"My intention was always to tell you," was Sora's reply. He scoffed. Was it really? Probably not. Only when it was convenient for her.

"You know, I may have believed you years ago, Sora, but I don't think I do now. Sorry," Izzy said, shrugging, not really seeming to care one way or another. Everyone watched as he stood up and put on his blazer, buttoning it up in the process. What was he doing? He walked to the door and turned around to face them.

"When you all have this figured out or have an answer from her, call me."

"Izzy—" Sora started, but Izzy faced the door, opened it, and walked out. What did she expect to happen? Him to just forgive her like what she did was nothing? Although he could've stayed and helped them figure it out. He still thought Izzy was an ass.

"Yeah…maybe Izzy's right," Yolei conceded. Seriously? Just because the guy was right most of the time didn't mean he was right this time. "I mean, we're not really in the position or have the right attitudes to talk about this right now. How about we just meet up again tomorrow?"

"But we are running out of time," crazy lady protested. Matt rolled his eyes. If they were out of time, then why couldn't she just tell them what was going on? It would be much easier that way and save them more time.

"Then you should have told us what was going on sooner," Yolei cut in. As rude as Yolei was being, she still had a point. She was wasting everyone's time and energy on something that may or may not even be true. The Shadow King? That sounded fabricated anyway. The Digital World needs saving? Well, that doesn't…but still…she should get the point, right?

"You all go and think it over tonight. We'll meet again in the morning," crazy suggested. She suddenly disappeared from the room and Davis gasped.

"Where did she go?"

"Narnia," Mimi answered. Davis turned to face her in order to give the expression of 'that's obviously not where she went'. Mimi's hands went up in the air.

"This is…Izzy's office," T.K. spoke up for the first time. Matt looked at his little brother. So what?

It was as if T.K. was reading his mind when he said, "And he's not here to lock it, so…."

"It probably locks after its shut," Ken answered. He saw T.K. nod his head in an 'oh' fashion.

"We should go," Mimi stood up from her spot on the floor. Joe also gathered his belongings and started for the door. Matt cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Maybe we should discuss what she told us to."

"Oh _now_ you want to talk, Matt? No thanks," was the answer elicited from Tai. Sometimes, he believed that the bushy haired idiot just liked to disagree with him for the sake of it. That wouldn't help them in being productive.

"Look, I'm just going to go sleep on it," Mimi announced. Really? She wanted to bail too? "You should too, Matt."

"Thanks, Mimi," he heard Sora say sarcastically. "Maybe because you said it, he'll actually listen to you."

Instead of issuing a retort, Mimi shook her head and walked out of Izzy's office. Matt stared after her. Maybe it wasn't worth it trying to get the team together. Maybe Mimi had the right idea on walking out for now. Besides, she was the only one who was even remotely on his side, right?

Following his instincts, he walked out of the door, hoping to see Mimi around the corner. But instead, she was gone. That was fast. Someone scoffed behind him.

"Chasing after your girlfriend?"

He narrowed his eyes at Tai's sneer. "Ex. And no, I'm not. She's got a point. If you don't want to try to discuss this in a civilized manner, then maybe you aren't fit to be the leader of the Digidestined." Walking away, he smirked, knowing that Tai was gawking at his statement. He wasn't lying. If he wasn't willing to put his hatred for him aside, then maybe he really shouldn't be leading the team. He can't even mobilize himself to do the right thing.

* * *

><p>"Izzy! Izzy wait up, will you?"<p>

He turned around. Oh thank goodness he did. Mustering up the courage to speak with his piercing black eyes staring at her, Mimi forced herself to speak.

"I know I'm like the last person you'd like to talk to, let alone even see right now."

He raised his eyebrows as if to say 'why', and she really couldn't understand why he didn't hate her more than he did.

"I just wanted to apologize again. I'm so sorry, I—"

"That was years ago, Mimi. And honestly, it bears no relevance to what's happening right now. Did everyone finally sort everything out?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Then I don't actually have an interest in what you're going to say," he declared. Ouch. She knew that he wasn't acting out of spite, he was above that, but still, that hurt.

"I just…I wanted to see if you were alright after the whole Sora ordeal." She confessed. There was a long awkward pause, and she heard him sigh even though he was standing quite a few feet away from her. They've stood closer to each other before, and they've stood farther away from each other. But every single time she saw him, she couldn't feel anything other than a complete stranger regardless of whether they stood near or far from each other. He felt so far away—physically and emotionally.

Izzy ran his hands through his red hair. "Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?" Straightforward and void of emotion. The Izzy she knew before they became closer friends. In fact, when they first had met, she felt closer to him then than she did today.

"Okay. Well," she clasped her hands together though she didn't know why. "Just wanted to make sure."

"Alright then. Goodnight, Mimi." As he turned around to walk away, she could feel herself start to call his name. It seemed to have been said aloud and gotten his attention when he turned to face her again. "What else do you want?"

"Look," for the first time in a long time, she could feel courage surging through her. "I don't know where you stand on the whole 'friends' perspective. I'm not exactly sure how you're feeling, or how you're doing. I don't believe you when you say that what transpired all those years ago don't matter or you don't have any ill feelings towards it. I certainly don't believe you when you say you're okay."

During her pause, he looked confused at her sudden outburst. Mimi felt somewhat pleased with herself. It took a lot to confuse Izzy after all. Actually, no. Scratch that. With the matters of the heart it didn't take long to confuse him. But with anything else, it took a whole lot.

"I would like to be your friend again." It definitely was a scary thing to say, but the adrenaline from the 'saving the world thing' coursing through her veins gave her the extra push she needed in order to tell him that.

"Um—"

She cut him off. "I wanted to let you know that I consider you my friend, Izzy. And I wanted to ask for you to consider me yours too. It sounds silly, sure, but I assure you it isn't." Where did all this vocabulary sprout out? "Or, we don't have to start out as friends right away. We could be acquaintances, where we talk about the weather and the latest news and all that."

Great, now she was rambling. She even looked like more of an idiot in his eyes than she usually did.

"I'm not going to stop trying to become your friend, but I just wanted to tell you that you'll always be mine." It wasn't everyday that she got an opportunity to tell him that.

"Could we go grab a cup of coffee or something? Catch up? As friends? Or…or acquaintances?"

Pursing his lips, Izzy shook his head. "Goodnight Mimi," he said once again. This time, he quickly spun around and walked away.

Her heart deflated at his response.

It wasn't like she was expecting him to be like 'oh yeah totally, let's do it', but now she knew he viewed her as a weird, desperate person. Which she wasn't. At least they exchanged words, so that had to be something…right?

* * *

><p>"Nothing is going to work," Yolei firmly stated. She was going to put her foot down on this. There was absolutely no way in which they could get the elder Digidestined to work together. And even if they did, their intentions would still not be sincere, and it would negate whatever that Giselle woman was saying about putting differences aside and being friends again. They haven't been friends for years; it wasn't like they were going to start now.<p>

"And why won't it? Why are you being such a Negative Nancy, Yolei?" Her irritation level just increased. Davis shouldn't be talking. He's the one that brought Giselle to them in the first place.

As if reading her mind, he held up his hands in the air as a sign of surrender. "Hey, she found me. I didn't do anything."

A light bulb lit up inside her brain. Turning to Joe, she pointed her finger at him. "Do _you _know what happened?"

"To be honest…not really…," the aspiring doctor admitted. Yolei huffed. He was useless. Absolutely useless.

"Maybe instead of studying and trying to be successful, you should keep tabs on your friends!"

"He didn't do anything, Yolei," Cody spoke up, defending Joe. "Maybe we can ask Kari and T.K."

This time, it was Davis who shouted. "Are you crazy? Out of your mind? Insane? They can't be in the same room together."

"For once, the doofus is right," she nodded, agreeing with him. They might not battle it out audibly like Sora and Matt, but the tension that resonated between the two children—er, adults—of hope and light could be cut with a knife if she had one.

"Why not?" Cody asked, genuinely curious. "Did something happen between them too?"

"Did something happen between them too?" Davis mocked Cody, mimicking his actions in the process. "Of course it did! Man, you're just as useless as Joe is!"

"We're not getting anywhere." Joe declared. Yolei looked at him in disbelief. Of course they weren't getting anywhere. "What happened, Davis?"

She locked eyes with the leader of the New Digidestined. Sighing, Davis set his chin on his hands. "It was in high school, and…."

"_Go on. It'll be great." Davis encouraged T.K., pushing him towards the object of his best friend's affection._

"_I don't know…I don't want it to change anything."_

"_It can only change for the better, right?" He replied, negating any doubts T.K. had about what he was about to do._

"_And if it does?"_

"_If it does what?"_

"_Change it for the worse?"  
><em>

"_Then we'll deal with it when the time comes. You have my blessing."_

_The blonde scoffed, adjusting the hat on his head. "I never needed your blessing to begin with. You're not her brother, and you've never dated her." Suddenly, T.K. froze. _

"_What? What is it?" Davis decided to ask. What could be the matter now?_

"_I didn't clear it up with Tai."_

_He's right. Maybe he should've done that. But to heck with it, it'll be amusing once this all goes down._

"_Just forget about Tai. Go on." Nodding his head, T.K. walked towards Kari. As the two best friends started to talk, Davis smiled and patted himself on the back. He did a good deed. Now he's hungry. He'll wait for one of them to call him and tell him all about it._

"And?" Cody wondered, prodding Davis. Yolei looked at the googles guy as well. He can't just leave it off like that.

"That was all," Davis muttered under his breath.

"So what the hell was the point of that story?" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Beside her, Ken plugged his ears. Oops. Guess she was a little loud.

"To tell you what happened."

"Davis, that doesn't tell us anything," Joe groaned, falling back into his seat.

"Well, T.K. asked Kari out and Kari rejected him."

"What?!" Joe yelled while almost falling out of his seat. Yolei, however, was unphased.

"Wait, when was this?"

Looking at her, Davis replied, "Um…sophomore year?"

"But they were still pretty good friends up until junior year, right? So that's not all that happened." She knew what went on, but she didn't know this part of the story until now. Kari never told her this part.

"Well...a lot more happened is all I can say."

"Like what?" Cody prompted him. Ken glanced warily at Davis. It was at that moment Yolei wondered if any of the older Digidestined knew anything about this.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore. I got stuck in the middle. Sure, Yolei and Ken were there, but Yolei was mostly on Kari's side, and Ken didn't really have a side. Both of them came to me with their problems about each other, and I'd rather not relive that, thank you very much," standing up from the couch, Davis wandered into the kitchen, probably looking for something to eat.

Everything was dysfunctional. They should just call up Giselle, lie to her, and say that they sorted everything out. Maybe it was time that Yolei paid a visit to her idol. Get her to recount the events that led to everybody hating each other.

* * *

><p>"So...I guess this is probably not the best time to sit down and talk about feelings, huh?"<p>

Tai saw Sora look up from the book she was reading. Her hand patted the seat beside her on the couch. He saw this as an invitation to join her. Once he plopped down on the couch, he felt it jiggle a little bit. Looking to his best friend, he raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, what went down in there should not have gone as badly as it should have."

Shrugging, he remained indifferent to her assertion. "Are you talking about Matt or Izzy?"

He knew he struck a nerve when she threw up her hands in the air. "Matt can go and drown for all I care."

"That's harsh, Sora."

"Well, he's an ass." Biting his lip, Tai nodded his head vigorously. He couldn't disagree with that. Matt did a lot of things wrong. For a guy with the crest of friendship, he sure did burn down many, many bridges.

"That probably wasn't the best setting to hash things out."

He stared into her brown eyes. "Tai, there won't ever be a right setting to do that."

"Maybe. But I feel like we owe it to the Digital World, to our Digimon friends, to try and stop the impending doom that's going to befall them."

"Befall?" He could see her eyes light up with amusement as she smiled a bit. "How—"

"Ambassadorship has its perks."

"And Izzy…," she mumbled, barely loud enough to hear. He leaned in, trying to listen to what she was about to say.

"I am not at fault, here. Okay? I did what I thought was best at the time that I knew was best."

"Mm-hmm."

"Tai!"

"What?" Glancing at her, he started to chuckle. "Izzy didn't seem that fazed by it."

"Tai, he made an insult and then left the room."

"No, he made an observation…and then left the room."

"I'm serious, Tai."

"So am I."

She gave him a look that said she couldn't believe how difficult he was being at the moment. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It wasn't not true, Sora. And I think you and I both know that. If you're feelings weren't clouded at the time, I think you would have told him right after you found out. But they were. And you might have waited because you had a lot on your mind, but at the same time, I think you know in your heart that you kind of used it to your advantage."

He could feel her relax underneath his fingertips and he knew that she agreed with him. "Doesn't matter. They got together anyway."

"Because they're selfish. They're selfish people." Adding to that, he decided to say, "Besides, Izzy's like this now."

Her eyebrows raised in suspicion. That's why the three of them should've gotten together more over the years. He felt guilty. He knew that getting together fell into the category of the things she regretted not doing after graduating high school.

"He's changed."

"You mean…he's an ass?"

Chuckling, Tai shoved her playfully. "Is everyone an ass to you?"

"Standing up that girl…that's an asshole move, Tai."

"When did you start cussing so much? This isn't like you, Sora. The real world sure has changed you." He grinned when he heard her laugh out loud. Once she did, Tai roared with laughter too. It's been too long since they've had some quality time together. This felt nice. As soon as Tai sobered up, he put on a serious face. This was serious business they were talking about.

"In his defense, there was a crazy lady in the room telling us to save the Digital World. He can't up and leave for a date."

"It felt like that wasn't the first time he did that though. And he also sounded unapologetic as well." Smiling, Tai shook his head. Sora had not changed a bit, and boy, was he glad for that. But Izzy…well that's a different story.

"He's been through a lot."

"High school doesn't count."

"That's not what I was referring to."

"Then what…?"

"It's not my place to say." He could feel Sora's eyes cut a hole through his skull. It really wasn't. Especially since Sora was probably not Izzy's favorite person right now. Though he did need to have a talk with the genius. The guy should really get his priorities straight. While Sora wasn't one to pry, she cares about Izzy. And she's right. What he did was kind of a jerk move.

"I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Maybe I'll tell you later. Probably when Izzy's cooled down about the whole thing."

"You said he didn't care."

"Didn't seem to. Doesn't mean that he didn't." To be frank, he didn't know what Izzy cared or didn't care about these days. Even though he and Izzy were on better terms than the rest of the group, it wasn't like he was a mind reader. The guy was more closed off than he had ever been—even more so than when he first met him.

"I should go talk to him," was her reply. That might be best. Besides, Sora and Izzy didn't really have a problem with one another. There's no point in starting one between them now. The sooner he can fix it, the sooner they might have a chance at defeating the Shadow King or whoever is wreaking havoc on the Digital World.

But…he shouldn't be talking. After all, like Sora, he hates Matt's guts. And Mimi's. Are there two people who actually don't hate each other right now? He needs to hate Matt's guts because of Sora. He has an obligation to hate Mimi's guts because of Izzy. They deserve all the hate in the world. But nothing's going to get accomplished if this was the mindset he put himself in. As the leader of the Digidestined, he should try to mend friendships, not rile them up even more.

Though he can't patch things up with Matt yet. Mimi…maybe. He should at least try to be the leader that he needs to be, right? He's willing to put aside his feelings. The only question remains is this: are the others?

* * *

><p>Mimi missed the comfort of her couch. It was soft and plush—it contained everything she needed. Not that Hiro's couch wasn't comfortable. It certainly was…it just didn't have the homey feeling of her couch. But she had no choice. Her apartment was located in New York, and it wasn't like she could jet back there. Especially with Palmon and the others counting on her and the rest of the Digidestined.<p>

But could they get their act together to help?

She highly doubted it.

"Mimi?"

"Uh…yeah?" Looking up, she saw Hiro cast a concerned look towards her. It touched her that he really cared. He was somewhat of a typical boyfriend—kind, caring, smart, sweet…not to mention he was the son of a famous entrepreneur in Tokyo. He was her type. He's like the other guys she dated. He's just not…

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Hiro. Why do you ask?"

"You seem distant lately."

She laughed his concern off, waving her arm around as she did so. "Work." She spit out, proceeding to take a sip from her glass of wine. "It's stressful, you know?"

He nodded in a comforting way, inching closer to her. She let him, and soon they were cuddling on his expensive couch. Not that the expensiveness of it mattered though. Was expensiveness a word? She breathed in his scent; the cologne he wore today smelled really well.

The whole reunion thing could have gone better, she supposed. Sora still hated her guts. Matt still hated Sora's. She was pretty sure Tai hated her as well, even though he didn't directly say anything to her. And Izzy…her exchange with him went as well as it could have. He didn't want to be friends? Fine. But she wasn't going to stop trying to let him know that she did care for him. She'll do the same with Sora, but after the Digidestined of Love has cooled down a bit.

"I love you, you know that?" Mimi sighed. Hiro could be so sweet at times. She smiled up at him before replying herself.

"I love you too." Though, for the first time in a long time since they've confessed those words to each other, her spoken reciprocation felt hollow. Here was Hiro: the ultimate "perfect" guy, the happy ending she had always envisioned for herself. Yet, it didn't feel right. Maybe it was because there was no one to share it with, she supposed. She really needed to patch things up with everyone. Then she could tell them all about the ups and downs of her serious relationship. And maybe then she won't feel so hollow. Maybe.

When did things get so screwed up? It didn't used to be this hard. She missed the days when their problems consisted only of running away from evil Digimon and finding someplace to bathe in the Digital World. Even finding a date for homecoming was easier than this. She winced when she thought of the dance that started their downward spiral towards hatred.

_Running her hands through her auburn hair, she sighed in frustration. It seemed like Matt didn't have any interest in going to the Winter Formal. Or maybe he did want to go…but with Sora. They have been awfully close lately. _

_Sitting down at their usual lunch table, she was surprised that she arrived first. Normally, she'd be one of the last ones to sit down and start eating. She heard the chair beside her scratch against the cold tile floor. She glanced back behind her to see who decided to grace her with their presence._

"_Hey," Izzy nodded a greeting at her. As he settled into his seat and took his lunch out, she examined him. _

_He probably felt her eyes on him because he locked eyes with her and scrunched his eyebrows in what she could only guess was confusion. "Is something wrong, Mimi?"_

_She leaned back in her chair and shook her head. She cleared her throat to fill in the space between them. "Nope. Not at all."_

_He looked skeptical. She smiled to ward him off. "Alright…then." He went back to his lunch and she was grateful that his attention was away from her. "Where are the others?"_

"_Hmm?" Mimi responded, looking back at her friend. He eyed her suspiciously. "I don't know. They aren't here yet."_

"_Obviously." She rolled his eyes at his bluntness. Mimi picked up her fork again in hopes of eating her food. She set it down. She wasn't hungry at the moment. Deciding to see what Izzy's godlike mother of a cook prepared for him, she peeked at his lunch. But her eyes were drawn to the genius himself, taking good portion of bites out of his food, very opposite of what Tai looked like when he ate. _

_She watched him and noticed his appearance. He was put together and well dressed. Sure, they had their uniform and it was standard for the boys to wear some version of it. Izzy, however, was decked out in the whole thing—tie, blazer, slacks, and dress shoes. He insisted it was because he wanted to look professional in school, but Mimi didn't care for the reason. It was a significant step up from the orange button down, beige shorts, and purple clown shoes he wore back in the day. As long as it made him look more fashionable, it was okay. _

_Besides his outfit, his physical appearance wasn't all too bad either. In fact, Tai claimed that the genius had a fan club that consisted of girls (not nerds, although there was one of that too) that fawned over him. They sure had a laugh that day. Izzy didn't believe it. To be honest, neither did she, but observing him now, she could see why._

_His red hair was neatly styled—probably to keep up his tidy and professional appearance__—not__ for fashion reasons. It spiked a little but not too much to appear unkempt and bedhead-like. But it wasn't flat and un-gelled either. If un-gelled was a word. His eyes were one of the best things about him, she noticed. It was like a pool of ebony…it was almost entrancing. _

_While he wasn't tan like Tai or French creamy colored like Matt, his paleness worked for him. He wasn't too pale or too tan._

_He was also lean, but wasn't made of twigs. There were muscles under there from the Digital World and from soccer. She learned recently that he liked to play golf as well. And from carrying computer parts around, he's sure to develop something. But he wasn't too beefy like he was on steroids or something. She liked that about him. _

_One thing she didn't like: his height. Who decided that he would be taller than her? He surpassed her height a couple of months ago, and it wasn't something that she particularly liked. She was always taller than him. And now she wasn't. She could wear heels to be the same height, or even surpass him by a couple of inches, but it wasn't the same._

_A plan formulated in her head. This just might work._

"_Izzy?"_

_After swallowing his bite, he regarded her in such a way that it made her feel like she was the most important person in the world. She shook the feeling off. _

"_How do you feel about the Winter Formal?"_

"_Um…fine? I'm not understanding the premise of your question."_

"_Do you want to go or are you opposed to it?"_

"_You know me. I was just going to spend that night finding bits of data that I need."_

"_Well, how would you like to go with me?"_

_At the time, he was drinking his beverage. He almost choked on it and spit it out. She pretended not to notice. "Um…excuse me?"_

"_Izzy Izumi…would you like to be my date to the Winter Formal?"_

_She took in his bewildered expression and leaned back in her chair in satisfaction. Izzy would be the key to her goal. It would show the object of her affection that she wouldn't be available for long. It was perfect. Besides, they were friends. He'd understand and help her out. And then she'd finally get the man she wanted. And her happy ending._

She was jolted out of her reverie by her boyfriend getting up from the couch. "I'm getting ready for bed. You coming?"

"Yeah. Yeah I am." If only she didn't do that. If only she wasn't selfish enough to even think of doing so. Things might be okay. Things might be the same.

Her legs felt like lead as she trudged up the stairs. She scrolled her phone, checking for new messages. A message popped up on her screen that piqued her interest. She didn't recognize the number, nor did she know what the message was about. She clicked on the touch screen, the glow illuminating her face.

_Not friends. Not acquaintances. A fracquaintance. Or acquiends. Whichever you prefer._

She made a mental list of who could've sent that cryptic message. Realization dawned on her as she read it over again.

For the first time that night, a genuine smile was brought to her face. She got through to him. Kinda. It wasn't much, but it was something. Though she was skeptical on why he decided to send this message. He didn't seem too keen on the idea when she brought it up. How did he know her number? Never mind…that was a dumb question. He could've hacked something, knowing him. A look of determination graced her features. If she could get Izzy to budge even just a little bit, she could get Matt and Sora to do so too. And she wasn't going to stop until they were all friends again.

* * *

><p><strong>Whew. There we go. Some more revealed. Still somewhat of a mystery though. They've got to get their act together, huh? It's a whole big mess they've got themselves into.<strong>

**Quick question: any thoughts on Digimon Adventure Tri?**

**If you have any questions or just want to talk about Digimon Tri or fanfiction, don't hesitate to send me a PM.**

**Any thoughts? More pieces of the puzzle are arriving soon! What are your theories or thoughts on what's going on here?**

** Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it in some way! What's working? What isn't? Let me know because I'd like to know haha. Thanks again! :)**


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